AMNA NAWAZ: We're going to get some political perspective now on the president's speech to Congress and on what comes next.

For that, we're joined by Tiffany Smiley, a former U.S. Senate candidate in Washington state, and Jamelle Bouie, a columnist for The New York Times.

Welcome to you both.

Thanks for being here.

TIFFANY SMILEY (R), Former Washington Senatorial Candidate: Yes.

JAMELLE BOUIE, The New York Times: Thank you for having us.

AMNA NAWAZ: Let's just start with your reactions to the president's remarks last night.

Tiffany, President Trump riding high.

His party controls Congress.

He's pushed through a staggering number of executive actions just 44 days into the second term.

What did you make of the way that he addressed the nation last night?

TIFFANY SMILEY: Yes, I saw bold leadership and strength, peace through strength on the world stage from President Trump, very different from 2017.

He seems untethered, unburdened.

This is a different Trump, in the sense that he knows how to get things done in D.C. now.

And he has been delivering for the American people for the last 43 days, promises made and promises kept.

Not only that.

He really painted a picture of -- a vision of the golden age, right, of America, of where we're headed, of what we can be as far as our economy in this country.

But the number one thing that he touched on and his guests really backed up I think the reason that he won the election was securing our southern border and stopping the flow of fentanyl, protecting families.

And he has already delivered on that tenfold.

I think ICE arrests of illegal criminals is up like 600 percent compared to the last four years.

I mean, those are huge numbers.

AMNA NAWAZ: Jamelle, what do you think?

What did you take away from last night?

JAMELLE BOUIE: What's interesting about these events is that they're supposed to be the president going to Congress and asking the Congress to pursue the president's program, usually a legislative program.

And what was striking about last night was that there was very little of this.

The president doesn't really have a legislative program.

The reason the president spent so much time talking about executive orders is because I think the president and his administration are more than aware that they don't really have either the leeway or perhaps ability to get through an actual legislative package through Congress.

And, to my mind, the perception of strength, the bragging that was very much part of last night is a paper tiger, because, at the end of the day, if you do not have legislation to change the U.S. code, your executive orders are ultimately temporary.

If there is a Democrat in office in four years, they can be reversed.

Much of what President Trump has done thus far is on the order of the temporary.

The absence of any real attempt to persuade Congress to pass anything into law, to my mind, signals profound weakness on part of the president.

AMNA NAWAZ: Tiffany, what about that?

We have - - in these first few weeks, we have seen the consolidation, a real flexing, a real stretching of executive authority by this president.

You have heard White House officials saying that they're not even sure they have to abide by court rulings they don't agree with.

All of that, you have heard, has prompted concerns about the constitutional crisis.

You have heard this before.

Is there validity to that concern?

TIFFANY SMILEY: I don't think so.

As long as the Dems keep screaming and crying constitutional crisis, then 2026 is going to look very, very good for the Republicans.

Trump's approval rating is 45 percent.

That's the second highest in 15 years of any president at this point.

And then also the CBS poll yesterday that came out, 76 percent approved of his speech.

He was talking to the American people.

And he -- the Senate moved swiftly with his nominations very quickly.

I mean, faster than any president in history they have gotten through.

Now you can tell he's coming back and he's working with Congress.

Elon was on Capitol Hill today meeting with senators, meeting with congressmen, asking questions, getting DOGE figured out and lined out.

And then I know Elon will go back to the managers who will run the show and help.

One of the number one issues as well with the American people is the waste, the fraud, the abuse.

And, to your point, Donald Trump is delivering for the American people.

And this isn't status quo.

This isn't, like, government as usual anymore.

He's an outsider.

He's someone who knows how to get things done.

That's what he's bringing to government, which is really refreshing for the American people.

AMNA NAWAZ: Jamelle, on the individual policy front, polls show that people support a lot of what the president's done on that issue-by-issue basis so far.

When people hear concerns about a constitutional crisis, does that resonate?

JAMELLE BOUIE: I think this effort on part of the Department of Government Efficiency to unilaterally slash spending, to cancel congressional corporations, I do think that constitutes a constitutional crisis, because it's a direct attack on Congress' constitutional right to determine what this country spends.

And the executive branch has an obligation to follow that.

But I will say that, as far as policies goes, it is interesting because we're still at the stage in sort of public opinion where people are giving the president the benefit of doubt.

I will say that 45 percent is among the lowest approval ratings for a new president.

That is not something I would brag about if I were the president.

But the public is giving him the benefit of the doubt.

But it remains to be seen what happens, for example, when the public learns that the administration wants to cut 45,000 workers from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and they want to slash half the work force in the Social Security Administration, when they want to cut Medicaid $880 billion, the Republican budget framework calls for removing from Medicaid.

Those are things that help ordinary people.

My parents are veterans and depend on the Veterans -- Department of Veterans Affairs.

People like my parents may end up having a hard time getting the medical care they're entitled to because of these cuts.

And I think that, as that stuff becomes apparent, as that stuff reaches the American public, Trump will lose, and is, I will say, losing -- will lose the benefit of the doubt.

AMNA NAWAZ: Tiffany, it's early in this presidency.

Is there a risk the president runs in overreaching when the impact starts to hit people at home, that they will start to step away from a president that they really put into place to bring down grocery prices, essentially, right?

TIFFANY SMILEY: Right.

And we have to also look at what President Trump was handed.

He was really handed an economy that wasn't working for the American people, an open southern border with fentanyl coming in and killing our kids.

Every city in this country, every town in this country is essentially a border town.

He's looking to bring manufacturing and jobs back into this country.

And he also touched on in his speech as well, which I think is important going forward for the future, which will win him votes and win the Republicans' votes, if they can get this done, is a balanced budget.

And so what's the alternative?

Bigger government, more spending, or a balanced budget?

AMNA NAWAZ: We started the conversation with Tiffany, so, Jamelle, I'm going to give you the last word here, because I need to ask about Democrats in this moment.

We saw last night in the chamber some silent protests with signs.

We saw some walk out in protest.

We saw Representative Al Green escorted out after he refused to take his seat after yelling in protest.

Are Democrats doing what you think they should be doing to meet this moment in the opposition right now?

JAMELLE BOUIE: I'm not sure that they are.

I think that a large number of Americans are looking not simply for more moderate positions or a certain set of policies, but for political leadership, for someone to voice and actualize the kinds of fear and anger and distress and resolve that they feel looking at what's happening in Washington.

The one piece of legislation the president does seem interested in is a $5 trillion tax cut for the wealthiest income earners.

The vast majority of it will go to the top 1 and 0.1 percent of all income earners.

Now, those two things are not popular, recessions famously not popular, tax cuts for the rich famously not popular.

But you don't hear Democrats focusing on the fact that the president's agenda, far from bringing prosperity, far from bringing broad-based growth, is doing the precise opposite and acting as a vacuum of upward redistribution for the very wealthiest.

I would like to see Democrats talk about that.

AMNA NAWAZ: Jamelle Bouie, Tiffany Smiley, thank you so much to you both for being here.

I'd love to have you both back to continue the conversation.

JAMELLE BOUIE: Thank you.

TIFFANY SMILEY: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: Thank you.